Broadcasting Press Guild member Hugo Martin has died suddenly at the age of 64.
Hugo was formerly the editor of Digital News, published by the Digital TV Group (DTG), and previously worked for IPC Magazines. A journalist for all of his working life, Hugo began his career on The Brighton and Hove Herald, editing directly on the printblogs in the days when newspapers were still set in hot metal.
He went onto become a freelance journalist, script editor, sub editor and reporter, working on various newspapers that ranged from European Chemical News to Reveille. He also worked as script editor on the BBC detective series Softly Softly and its spin-off Barlow at Large. Joining the Radio Times in 1979 he rose to become assistant editor, leaving in 1990 to join British Satellite Broadcasting as listings manager prior to its merger with Sky.
Having worked for TV Times earlier in his career, Hugo returned in 1991 to become assistant editor, where he was in charge of the listings team prior to deregulation. When the market was opened up and the TV Times was finally allowed to publish listings from the BBC channels Hugo ran the department that provided listings to TV Times, What’s On TV and, following its launch in 1993, TV & Satellite Week. He began a long running and successful campaign to prevent the cross promotion of the Radio Times by BBC Television.
Hugo joined the DTG in 1999, after a chance meeting at the organisation’s Annual General Meeting coincided with his work for IPC beginning to wind down. Within weeks of joining the DTG Hugo had used his contacts to put together a meeting with the BBC on digital television production. He took Digital News from being what was essentially a house journal and put it onto a professional footing.
His colleagues at the DTG were impressed with his parliamentary reporting skills as he reported on the progress of the Communications Bill and other related legislation. Hugo was said to have the best sub editor contact book in town and was the world’s best source of gossip.
The funeral and Humanist commemoration will take place on Tuesday December 12, at 2.30pm, at the South Chapel, Woodvale Crematorium, near Brighton.
